Todd McFarland has the heart and the experience of a preservationist. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a business degree in finance and real estate and a certificate in historic preservation, McFarland started investing in student rentals on Victor Street in Clifton. In 2007, McFarland commenced a top-down restoration of the beautiful four-story 1865 Italianate at 1346 Broadway Street in Pendleton into 3 upscale rentals. Kevin LeMaster at Building Cincinnati chronicled McFarland’s efforts in a beautiful four-part series (view Parts I, II, III, IV). The Cincinnati Preservation Association recognized the property’s transformation and honored McFarland’s painstaking effort by awarding it the 2010 Rehabilitation Award.
Here are a few before and after photos shot by LeMaster for Building Cincinnati:
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- 1346 Broadway – Before
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- 1346 Broadway – After
For more photos of the finished restoration at 1346 Broadway, visit Building Cincinnati’s “Reviving Cincinnati: 1346 Broadway, Part IV (The Finale)“.
McFarland’s latest project has been the stabilization of 20 W. Elder Street near Findlay Market. As a preservationist and real estate investor, McFarland put a new roof and box gutters on the building to protect it and also to make the building more approachable to potential buyers. It is now listed for sale by Karen Domine Wolf of Eden Park Realtors (513-281-7888; more information here). The property has a two-car garage and a commercial, walk-in refrigerator accessible from Bardes Alley.
Todd McFarland on the new roof of 20 W. Elder Street
The building was constructed in 1868 and was the home of the Sebastiano LaRosa family in the 1920s and 1930s according to old Cincinnati city directories. Sebastiano was the proprietor of Sebastiano LaRosa & Son’s fruit market and grandfather of Buddy LaRosa, founder of LaRosa’s Pizzeria.
McFarland is one of growing number of preservationists who are actively stabilizing and rehabilitating Over-the-Rhine’s historic building stock. As for his next project, McFarland is interested in saving more of Over-the-Rhine.
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- 20 W. Elder
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- Old roof and gutters
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- McFarland inspecting the new box gutters
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- Old roof
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- New roof
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- Old roof
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- New roof
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- Findlay Market’s Race St. entrance from 20 W. Elder
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- 18 W. Elder St. listed for $60,000 as of 1/27/13
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- 24 W. Elder (left) is owned by the City of Cincinnati and 22 W. Elder (right) is owned by Model Group
Findaly Market at the intersection of Race and Elder in 1937 | source: Ohio Federal Writers’ Project
West Elder Street
The view west from 20 W. Elder St.
